OLYMPICS---Annie's prancing horse is on LIVE on MSNBC.
No spoilers from me, but if you are near a TV.....
= new reply since forum marked as read
It would have been better if I had not known it belonged to the Romneys. 
perform though, and admittedly they have to demonstrate incredible teamwork with the rider. So, for all that dismiss this out-of-hand, I think they are missing a lot. It evolved from ancient times-- when command of horse by rider in war meant the difference in survival.
I urge DUers who are put off--simply by the Romney association-- to watch, nonetheless. But, yes, it is evidence of incredible shit loads of money. Those horses, their gear and training are incredibly expensive--not to mention the cost of travel. Whew.
I just LOOOOOVE these horses! Incredibly beautiful animals. 
I don't.
So this is just pure, unvarnished, and admittedly uninformed opinion.
I got the sense that those horses do that prancing/dancing shit out of loyalty, repetition/training, and a paucity of options. I didn't get the sense that they "liked" it or that it "mimicked play." I am not perceiving joy or abandon in their efforts--it ain't like throwing frisbees at the border collie.
It looks like work to me, replete with tension and drama and high stakes.
Sure, they get pats and praise when they "do good," but they'd better do good...!
I wouldn't call it torture, but it does not look like Yee Haw fun.
That Canadian horse wasn't having ANY of it. He got through the dressage portion but when it came to the running and jumping, he wasn't having fun. Maybe he was annoyed at being named "Gin and Juice" and decided to show 'em what a drunken rampage looks like...?
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh-game/equestrienne-hawley-bennett-awad-stable-being-thrown-off-163148413.html
But hey, DU delivers again--ya learn something new every day here!! I never knew horsies had AIR BAGS!!! Wouldn't Christopher Reeve have liked one of those things...
Air vest inflated before impact
McGregor credited an inflatable safety vest attached to the rider's saddle with preventing a more severe injury.
The air vest triggers when a rider is thrown from his or her mount, and operates much like a car air bag. It is a standard precaution for all competing riders.
Hawley Bennett-Awad and her horse, Gin & Juice, compete in the equestrian dressage on Saturday. She was injured in competition Monday. (David Goldman/Associated Press)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/08/01/injured-equestrian-discharged.html
